The twig knight
by Katlyn
Summary: The story of Remus Lupin and how he came to be at Hogwarts. Eventual SBRL slash.
1. Chapter 1

Twig Knight

The boy sat in the shade of one of the many trees that lined the overgrown pathways of his home. In his hands was a makeshift horse made out of bits of bark tied together, and a man made of twigs, holding a nail in his hand as a sword.

The boy was living in his make believe world, going with the twig knight on daring adventures. Going to far distant lands, and seeing things he had only read about, always chasing the sun.

Remus was a quiet child, he lived in his head, his mother said, and his father maintained that he was too old for his years. His father was away with work for three weeks of every month, and his mother was a frail woman who liked Remus to stay quiet and occupy himself outdoors whilst she stayed in the cool dark house.

Remus hated when his father came home, for it meant that the hurting time would come. Nikolas was not a cruel man, but his son was petrified of him, for when he arrived, the cellar would be cleaned out, ready for Remus to stay there overnight. He hated the cellar, the walls were solid brick, with no ornamentation. But it was the door that dazzled him and frightened him at the same time. The door had been specially made for the Lupins, and was coated in pure silver. When he was younger than he was now, he had thought that door so pretty, and had wanted to touch it and feel the cool metal beneath his skin. His parents had warned him not too, but it was just too much to resist. The day after one of his stays in the cellar, he had brushed his hand across it as his father carried him out. But instead of the smooth cool surface that he had expected, it burnt. He had cried out in pain and jerked his hand away, across his palm was an angry red mark that had faded over the years to a pale scar.

Remus loved travelling in the car. His father rode a broomstick, and his mother drove a car. She didn't work, but once a week, she would take her son to the nearest town to do their shopping at the local market. She would hold him tightly by the hand as they wandered the stalls.

He wasn't allowed to play with the children. After the first time he had gone off with two other boys, his mother had dragged him back to the car immediately and her voice shook as she told him off. He wasn't to play with other children, she told him, for they would not accept who he was, if they ever found out, everyone would hate him. That was the first time he had realised that he wasn't the same as everybody else. The first time he realised that he wasn't normal.

Despite this, he lived a happy childhood, and found many friends in the books that he read. He didn't need friends, he told himself, he was a knight who travelled the world, friends would just tie him down. He wanted to be free.

But deep down, he knew that he wasn't free, and sometimes, he would wish, just for one friend. Someone who would know the truth, and still like him.

**Hi people. This is just a teaser. I think it works as a one shot, but if enough people are interested, I'll be more than happy to continue it. If I do continue it though, I'll let you know now, it will be a SB/RL slash fic.**


	2. A visitor

It was April, a month exactly after he had turned eleven that the doorbell rang. It was not often that the Lupin's had visitors, and Remus peered out of the doorway of the study as his father came down the hall to answer the door.

There was a stranger standing on the front step. He was quite tall, and wore deep red and blue robes that brushed the floor. His hair was greying, and his beard was tucked under his belt to keep it from getting in the way. All in all, he was the oddest person that Remus had seen in his, admittedly short, life.

Remus watched quietly, he was not used to strangers, and this one was stranger than most. He smiled broadly as Nikolas invited him in and started leading him towards the sitting room. Remus shrank back in his hiding place as the old man looked directly at him and winked one of those impossibly blue eyes.

Remus was a shy child, but he was still a child. And as a child, he was insatiably curious. He crept up to the door of the sitting room, where his parents sat with the man that he soon learnt was Professor Dumbledore.

He caught the tail end of what his father was saying, "… do not get me wrong, I love my son, but I don't think it fair to let him think that he is normal. He can learn well enough at home, he learns easily, and it will be better than subjecting him to the knowledge that he can never be like the other children."

His mother interrupted him, "And besides, what of the danger to the other students? I could never forgive myself if something… terrible should happen."

And the man called Dumbledore spoke with a warm voice that sounded a little sad. "It is true that he shall always be set apart, I know that you love your son, Nikolas, and you as well Doreen, but he needs the company of others his own age, he needs friends. If you keep him locked away, as you have done since the day he was bitten, he will grow to resent you both and hate himself, he will susceptible to dark persuasions. To prevent this, I ask you to let him come to Hogwarts. Let him live.

Remus left the door, so they were talking about him, and his… unnaturalness. He grimaced as he thought about the curse that had taken over his life at merely three years of age. He went back to the study and picked up the book of dragon history again, but his concentration would not return. His mind was occupied on the thoughts of what could have been. He knew his parents well, and he knew that it was impossible to change their minds once made. He wondered what Hogwarts would be like. He imagined a large stone schoolhouse like the one in the village. Would there be a playground? Somehow he didn't think so. When he thought of Hogwarts, he dreamed of the library, and trees he could sit under in the sun. What would the classes be like? He wondered. But he cut himself off before he could get too carried away. He wasn't going, and that was that.

Besides, it was probably better that he couldn't go, the other children would probably laugh at him for being such a monster. He had read in books that werewolves were dark creatures, and, although he didn't feel dark, he knew that he must be. What would happen if somebody ever found out? And that was why he couldn't ever let anyone know his secret.

But the impossible happened, and Professor Dumbledore convinced his parents to let him go to school. His emotions were a tangled mix of ecstasy and dread as the day drew nearer. The Professor told him that there was already a plan in place to make sure he would be safe on the full moon. His father had bought everything he needed from Diagon Alley, and had even bought him extra books to read, to bring him up to scratch on the wizarding world that he had been kept apart from for his entire life.

He spent many hours reading over the books, particularly those that concentrated on Hogwarts. There were many references to another book called 'Hogwarts: A History', but that would have to wait until he got to the school and found the library there. He was sure that that wouldn't take long.

Soon enough, the day arrived when he was to leave for Hogwarts. He rose at dawn, and checked over his list to make sure that he had everything. He made toast, but could only eat half a slice, he was too nervous. And then he sat on the front step, with his trunk in front of him, and waited for his mother to see him off to the station.

The early morning sunlight scattered through the trees overhead, and Remus waited.

**There you are, chapter two, and so soon! I've surprised myself. I hope you like it, next chapter Remus meets the Hogwarts express. **

**Thanks to all reviewers so far. All two of you! I was kind of hoping for more, but shrugs, I've got a hit list, so I know that more people are reading than that.  
**

**Please, let me know if you hate it, or if there is anything you think that could be improved, I'm more than happy to take all advice on board.**

**Many thanks to you all.**

**-Katlyn **


	3. Hogwarts Express

The train was bigger than the models he had had as a child. That was his first impression. Remus and Doreen stood on platform nine and three quarters at 9am. The platform was rather empty, with only one other student with his parents, and a couple of other witches and wizards, busy on their way through to another train. Remus was glad that they had come early; he wanted to be prepared, to find a place to hide before all the other students arrived. His mother gave him a quick impersonal kiss on the forehead and left him standing there, she wasn't good at handling new situations.

The small figure stood patiently next to the train, waiting for the doors to open. Finally one of the conductors felt sorry for him, and, taking his ticket, let him into the train. No other students were on yet, and Remus had first pick of the carriages. He chose one of the smaller cars at the back of the train, and sat furthest away from the window so that the other students wouldn't see him.

As the two hours until the train left drifted by, rather slowly, Remus watched the crowds on the platform grow bigger, and he started to hear the noise of all the students as the doors were opened officially to let them onto the train. A couple of faces peered in at him, but left upon seeing that someone was already in the carriage.

Remus watched the platform still. He saw a group of boys a bit older than himself, standing around talking madly; they obviously knew each other from before. He wondered what it would be like to be one of those boys. They were all talking at once, trying to outdo each other, yet despite the competition, they all seemed to be having a grand old time. They were laughing and joking, and gesticulating wildly as they told their respective stories about their summer. Remus wondered if he would ever have friends like these. Wondered if he could ever be accepted, just joke around with other boys.

'Probably not', he thought to himself sadly. 'Sure, there's a chance that they might like me to begin with, but what would happen if they found out the truth? They would hate me and never talk to me again. And, Mum was right, I am dangerous. I could hurt someone really badly, I could turn someone else into a werewolf too.'

His eyes widened at that thought, and his resolve hardened. He could not let anyone get close to him, it was just too dangerous.

Soon enough, the warning whistle went off, to call all the loiterers onto the train. There was a rush to the door by the group of boys that Remus had been watching, and, despite knowing that he could never befriend them, he wished that they would come into his carriage and laugh and joke with him, inviting him into their jokes, rather than making him the butt of them.

But it was not to be, Remus' carriage was left alone as everyone managed to find a seat that wasn't with him.

The trip was a long and lonely one for Remus. He sat in his corner, hoping against hope that someone as lonely as himself would come in, and that they could be friends, but the only person to open the door through the whole trip was a tea lady, who, upon finding the boy alone, gave him a pitying look, and upon him telling her that he had no money, gave him a chocolate frog for free.

Remus hated pity. But he loved chocolate.

Without realising that he had fallen asleep, he woke up as the train pulled to a halt. It was dusk outside, and he poked his head out of the door to find all the other students crowding the corridors and making their way onto the platform. He followed them shyly, keeping his head down so that no one would notice him, and left his trunk on the platform with everybody else's. The train huffed and puffed still, and he followed the large voice that boomed over the students, calling for first years.

Once they were all gathered, they were led down to the edge of a lake, where lots of small boats were waiting. He managed to find one with only two people in it, and the boats set off. The two girls who shared his boat seemed to be friends, and they whispered their conversation into each others ears, giggling and looking eagerly ahead into the darkness. Remus was miserable, he was starting to think that it was all a huge mistake when he caught sight of the school. His mouth dropped in amazement as the school came into view, it was perched high on the edge of a cliff, but what he could see, in the dusky light, was a long hall, and behind that, many towers and turrets that told the story of there being more to Hogwarts than immediately met the eye.

All of the children had fallen silent at the awesome view, and as Remus looked around at his fellow first years, he could see the gaping looks of astonishment on their faces.

It was a long trek from where they left their boats, up the many stairs to a bare room, where the large man that called himself Hagrid left them. They were left to cool their heels for a bit, and they were all shocked when the door was thrust inwards, and a stern looking woman, dressed in sombre grey with her black hair tied in a tight bun entered the room. She looked at them all disapprovingly and shortly said, "follow me."

And she led them into a huge room, past all of the older, seated students. The roof above them seemed to be moonlit, and the first years were introduced to the sorting hat. Remus' hands twisted together under his long sleeves (his mother had bought them two sizes too big), and his mind ran in circles, what if this was all a mistake? What if the hat told him that he couldn't be sorted into any house? What if he was sent home in disgrace? But all his worries stopped, when he heard a name being called out.

"Remus Lupin."


	4. Sorted

Sirius watched as the small boy, Remus Lupin, walked up to the podium. He looked white and determined, much like he imagined he had looked on that same journey. He was still in shock about being sorted into Gryffindor, he knew that his mother was going to be so mad, but even if he could change the past, he didn't want to. He was quite happy where he was, thankyou very much.

He was seated next to some older students, and next to another new Gryffindor who was ignoring him in favour of watching the sorting. Sirius was having fun trying to guess which house each new student would go into. He would bet anything that this Remus would be a Hufflepuff, he had that air about him. He looked for the other boy he had shared a compartment with, James Potter. Another pureblood like himself, but from a family traditionally allied with the light side, unlike his own. Sirius already knew that they would be great friends; they shared the same trouble-making streak, as they had found out on the train. They had teased two girls mercilessly, Lauren Gumble, who had been sent to the Ravenclaw table, and Lily Evans, the red-head sitting next to him who was studiously ignoring them both.

As he sat there, his eyes made their way back to the boy underneath the hat, he'd been sitting there longer than usual, his eyes pressed shut, and as pale as the ghost that had just popped up out of the middle of the table. All of a sudden, the hat opened it's 'mouth' and yelled out "Gryffindor" to more applause from the red and gold table.

Sirius was even more intrigued now, he had felt sure that the boy would be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. He moved over so that Remus, who looked as though he might faint with relief, could sit down. He came towards the table, and the next person was called to the front of the hall.

Remus was boneless with relief as he slumped on the stool. All of the tension that had been in every limb before the sorting had left in a rush, leaving him with just enough energy to make his way to his house table. His house! He had made it in, and he hadn't been exposed and ridiculed! And although he was elated at the result, he felt the familiar undertone of fear, niggling away in his stomach. Now he had something to lose. If the hat had exposed him for the monster he was hiding within, then he would have been sent away, and he would've eventually gotten over it. As it was, he knew that with every day, he would have more to lose.

"Good on you!" came a voice from next to Remus. He looked up in surprise, he had been so involved with his thoughts that he had ignored everything else around him. Remus would have thought that he was at least a second year if he hadn't seen the boy get sorted earlier, he looked three times the size of Remus, mostly because of his extreme confidence. Remus felt overwhelmed when the boy slapped him on the back, was anyone really this boisterous? He hadn't thought so before coming here. He grinned weakly at the other.

"I'm Sirius, anyway, Sirius Black, what's your name?" continued the large boy, now known to be Sirius.

"Er, Remus Lupin." He answered quickly and quietly, not wanting to attract anymore attention than was necessary. He was saved from more conversation by the Headmaster standing and making an announcement, the last of the new first years had been sorted. He was quickly forgotten by his new acquaintance, as he turned to the black-haired boy next to him and they started to nudge each other and laugh at whispered jokes. Remus felt a stab of envy before shoving it away. He was not to have friends, it wouldn't be fair on them when his secret was revealed.

The food appeared on the table and Remus ate a little, figuring that the best way to blend in was to eat, even though the food lay heavy on his stomach and he felt like throwing it all back up again. A watery-eyed blonde who had been sorted after Remus smiled at him. Remus blushed and looked down, no, he wasn't to make friends, he certainly wasn't to encourage others to want to be friends with him. The blonde boy shrugged and turned his full attention on Sirius and his friend.

Remus sighed under his breath, this was going to be harder than he'd thought.

The blonde and the black-haired boy were revealed to be Peter Pettigrew and James Potter and both they and Sirius were to share a dormitory with Remus and another first year Gryffindor, Alex Finemore. Remus took the bed that was closest to the door, leaving the others to fight amongst themselves for the privilege of being closest to the window. He performed his daily ablutions before closing the curtains on the whispered talking of the rest of the boys, all of them trying to get used to the new living arrangements while not attracting the attention of their head of house who had informed them that she would be performing checks to make sure everyone was sleeping at random times throughout the night.

He repeated his mantra to himself 'Must not make friends, friends will get hurt', before finally falling asleep.

**I hope you enjoyed it. I've had the first half of this chapter ready and waiting for ages, but it's taken me until now (read, holidays) to actually get around to finishing it. Much love to all reviewers, Katlyn.**


	5. Plans

The school year took a lot of getting used to. Remus had spent his whole life studying to his own timetable, and now had to settle into the strict rules of teachers. Professor McGonagall touched on several very interesting topics in her first lecture, and Remus' attention was immediately caught. If he had been alone, he would have gone straight to read about the more interesting things she mentioned rather than sticking on the basics.

History of magic was the same. A ghost was teaching, he couldn't believe it at first, and despite the amount of exciting things contained within wizarding history, Professor ghost was only concentrating on the fourteen hundreds, the most boring period of history ever, in Remus' opinion.

But he got used to it, and excelled in his classes. If there was one thing to be said for not having friends, it was that he had plenty of time to complete his homework. The library became his permanent location when he wasn't in classes, asleep, or eating meals (and sometimes when he was supposed to be eating meals). The librarian wasn't sure what to make of her lodger, and treated him with an odd sort of fondness, as if recognising another book-lover, but as someone who was unused to showing fondness.

"Here." She would say, when he came in as soon as lunch finished, handing him a book that Professor Slughorn had mentioned as reading for his first essay, before walking off again stiffly.

Two weeks into the first term, Remus realised his first task was upon him. The full moon was approaching swiftly. After classes that Thursday, he had been walking towards the library when Headmaster Dumbledore came upon him. "Ah, Mr Lupin" he smiled at the small boy. "Would you care to walk with me for a moment?"

Remus nodded, "Certainly, Headmaster." And he continued walking with the older man, passing the library doors, and turning a corner into the next corridor.

"And so how do you find Hogwarts?" Asked the Headmaster, "I remember your parents telling me that you were an avid learner before attending school, are you finding it reaches your expectations?"

"Oh, it's wonderful, Sir" said Remus, "I'm learning a lot, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity." Remus swallowed nervously before speaking again, "I was wondering, sir, if you remembered that the full moon..."

The Professor just winked at Remus, causing him to stutter into silence. How could he imply that he had a bad memory? He was supposed to be acting nice, not go around insulting people! "It's alright, young man, I have a lot on my mind, but I did not forget. I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying yourself. Ah, let us turn down this pathway," he directed, as they reached the Northern end of the school, "Here we are." And Remus looked at the double doors that stood open, leading into the hospital wing.

Dumbledore walked in, trailing Remus behind him, "Madam Pomfrey?" He called out, "Would you have a moment for an old man and a handsome young boy?" He winked at Remus again, sharing the joke with him.

Remus wasn't quite sure how to react to odd behaviour. He had seen the other boys in his year joke around before, but he had never taken part in it.

A woman who he guessed must be Madam Pomfrey came out of one of the side rooms, wiping her hands on her apron. "I always have time for you, Headmaster," she smiled at Remus, "and handsome young men are always welcome in here, especially if they are not injured."

Remus blushed, Madam Pomfrey was a pretty witch, maybe twenty five or thirty, with her blonde hair pinned up, and a medi-witch uniform on. "How can I help you both today then?" She asked, gesturing them over to a desk in the window tower space where it caught the afternoon sunlight, streaming in from the west.

Dumbledore took a seat and gestured for Remus to do the same. "Young Remus here is the interesting case we spoke about before the year started," he began. "In a few days, we will need to enact our plan, and I wanted the two of you to become acquainted first."

The medi-witch immediately looked over at Remus with interest, "I see! Well, I am sure we will become firm friends if we are to work together so often. Has Professor Dumbledore explained the plan to you in detail?"

Remus ducked his head down in shame, "No Madam, I'm sorry."

She sent a stern look at the Headmaster, "Well he ought to have done before now. I'm sure you've been worrying yourself silly not being sure what would happen. Professor, if you have other business, I'm sure I can explain it all to young Master Lupin thoroughly, as should have been done as soon as he arrived."

Her scolding didn't seem to affect the Headmaster, he only gave them both a twinkling smile, "I shall leave you in Madam Pomfrey's capable hands if you have no objections?" Remus shook his head quickly, "Wonderful" the man clapped his hands together, "Let me know how it goes, I shall see you both later."

The Headmaster left, leaving Remus and Poppy alone. The medi-witch waved her wand and closed the infirmaries' doors, giving them a little privacy. "Now then, Master Lupin, I believe your parents are aware of our plans. Did they tell you anything before you left home?"

Remus shook his head mutely.

"Ah well, I'm sure it was a very stressful time for all of you, sending a child off to school is quite a big thing." She walked to a shelf behind the desk and collected a file. "Every child here has a file of their own, this is your one." She explained, "As to what will happen on the full moon, you and I will go to our safe house the night before, and I will collect you again in the morning. The safe house is protected against intruders, and is spelled strong enough to withhold a werewolf from escaping. The Headmaster himself has provided the spell-work, so you can rest assured that you will be perfectly safe."

You mean that everyone else will be perfectly safe, whispered Remus in his head, not that he minded, he didn't want to cause pain or suffering to anyone. "Where is the safe house?" he asked.

"It is a small house off the perimeters of Hogwarts' grounds. We'll access it through a secret tunnel that is guarded by a willow tree that attacks anyone that comes near it."

Remus tilted his head, "I've never heard of sentient trees."

Madam Pomfrey suppressed a chuckle, for a Gryffindor, he was quite bookish, "It's not technically sentient, it's more like a Venus Flytrap, if you've heard of them, a defence mechanism that's built in."

A look of comprehension overtook his face, "Oh, I see!" and he frowned again, "But if no-one can get near, how will I get in?"

"Don't worry dear, I know where the off switch is," she winked, betraying a slight knowledge of muggle technology that implied she had some muggle blood in her family somewhere.

Remus smiled nervously, "If you're sure it's safe, then I'm happy, I don't want to hurt anyone. Should I come here next Wednesday after classes?"

"Would you not prefer to come after dinner?" She asked.

Remus shook his head, looking a little pale, "I'd rather get out of the way early, just in case."

Madam Pomfrey looked sympathetic, "If you're sure, then after classes will be fine. I'm sure we can get a house-elf to bring you something filling here anyway."

Remus smiled at the unexpected kindness. "Thank-you Madam. I'm very grateful for your help."

She watched him leave the infirmary with a sad look. It would be a hard life, she reflected, to have such a curse at such a young age. But never mind, she would do her best to help and make it as easy as possible on the young boy.


End file.
